Monthly Archives: June 2013

Sedona is a wonderful place to vacation. It has great restaurants, shopping, jeep tours, and more. But by far, the single most compelling reason to visit is the beauty of Sedona’s natural landscape. In case you’ve never been, here are five scenic reasons why Sedona should be your next travel destination…

Red Rock State Park

With over 286 acres of natural red rock, you won’t be short on sites to see. There are hiking trails, guided hiking trails lit by moonlight, and a large variety of plant, animal, and bird life to observe. Red Rock State Park is a site you literally can not miss; it’s the basic back drop for all of Sedona!

Oak Creek Canyon

This 12-mile long river gorge descends from Flagstaff all the way into Sedona where we happily nestle. Often known as the Second Grand Canyon, it is known for its unparalleled beauty. Great fishing too!

Slide Rock Park

If you have children, this naturally formed rock slide water park is the place to visit. Several Olson children have made their way down these slides over the year. Did you know it also contains one of Sedona’s only existing apple orchards?

Coconino National Forest

This picture probably should have gone first because all of scenic spots are located here. This website is a great resource on the forest’s camping and visiting hours.

Wilson Mountain

For serious hikers, you might try climbing the top of Wilson Mountain, the highest peak in Sedona. It’s a grueling 11-mile trip but the view at the top makes it well worth it!

We have two exciting announcements over here at the Patch; first, welcome to our Briar Patch Blog! We thought it would be fun to update the site with some of our visitors stories and events that happen at our cozy bed and breakfast. Now, we promise that Briar Patch is by no means going high-tech (no telephones or cable entering our cabins any time soon)! But for those of you who have loved Briar Patch for your 1 or 2 week stays in a year, we wanted to bring you a little something more. With a beautiful photograph of the grounds, a funny story about Wooly and Bully, or a Briar Patch event, we hope that we can keep the magic of our special place in your hearts all year round.

Allen and Maryanne with Briar Patch owner Jo Ann.

Secondly, we are pleased to announce that Lyra, our favorite classical strings duet, has returned to for another summer season. Marking their 24th year with us, guitarist Maryanne Kremer-Ames and violinist Allen Ames will accompany breakfast by the creek side every Thursday through Sunday for the entire summer season.

In addition to performing at the Patch, Lyra has also performed throughout the state of Arizona, California, and New York. They have recorded with several notables including the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra and Dave Brubeck, as well as their own personal recording which is available in each of our cabins for your listening pleasure (we especially like their rendition of The Beatles’ classic tune, “Blackbird”). All four of their albums are also available in the office for purchase.

Our breakfast by the creek is from 8-10 every morning and Lyra will be performing from 8:15 to 10:15 Thursday through Sunday mornings. For those of you who have an upcoming visit, breakfast is included in your stay. Local guests or just passersby are also welcome to come for breakfast; please call the office in advance to make a reservation.